Non-portable liquid spill containment systems are known for use in tank farm environments, for example, in which a number of storage tanks containing environmentally hazardous liquids, such as petroleum fuel products, are accommodated within a spill containment area bounded by an upstanding perimetrical dike wall.
In one such known application, the dike wall is formed of packed earth or concrete and the wall and containment area are thereafter draped with a geo-textile woven fabric sheet over the top of which is sprayed a thermosetting cross-linked polymer material that cures to produce a seamless top skin or liner membrane for trapping any liquid product that should spill or leak from the tanks. The particular top skin polymer material known to be used for this application is sold commercially under the trademark POLYARMOR, by Visuron Technologies, Inc. of Bay City, Mich. Containment systems of this type are permanent installations and thus would not be of practical use in applications where the location of the area to be contained is subject to change, such as at an airport where a mobile fueling truck transports and dispenses fuel to airplanes parked at any of a number of locations. In such situations, it is desirable to contain the area around the fueling vehicle and plane to trap any fuel that may spill during fuel transfer. The walls of such a portable unit need to be collapsible to permit a wheeled vehicle, such as the aforementioned fuel truck and/or plane to be driven or moved into and out of the confinement area over the confinement wall. The walls of the known permanent dike mentioned are not collapsible and hence do not permit the passage of wheeled vehicles thereover without potential damage.